Elementary cross-country meet attracts hundreds

MAT-SU - Butte Elementary School fifth-graders Danny Appin and Alexia Stricker both captured wins in the two-mile run at the annual Mat-Su Elementary School Cross-Country meet Friday afternoon.

Nearly 400 third- through sixth-grade elementary school children gathered at Colony High School to run in the annual meet.

Sherrod physical education teacher and running coach Lyle Busby said Valley standout cross-country runners and skiers like Eric Callison and Eric Strabel all began racing at the elementary level.

"They all got their start right here," Busby said. "This is where it all starts. There are some heavy-duty hills on that trail."

For the last six years, the meet has been organized the Colony High School's Junior ROTC cadets, who keep the trail ready and run the clocks for the competition.

Race marshal Ed Strabel said this year's race fielded the largest group of runners ever.

Mat-Su Elementary School

Cross Country Results (Top 30)

Open boys (1-mile run)

1) Kaleb Turner,7 minutes, 39 seconds,Academy Charter (ACD); 2) Kevin Allen, 7:44, Butte (BU); 3) Kyle Martin, 8:01, Glacier View (GV); 4) Cameron Ewing, 8:09, Finger Lake (FL); 5) Colt Blaylock, 8:15, Sherrod (SH); 6) Collin Murphy, 8:20, FL; 7) Christoper Martin, 8:22, Glacier View (GV); 8) Reese Robinson, 8:32, ACD; 9) Jimmy Killingbeck, 8:34, Tanaina (TAN); 10) Bailleux Rothermel, 8:36, ACD; 11) Dakota Sigman, 8:37, FL; 12) Drew Ford, 8:37, Iditarod (ID); 13) Hunter Young, 8:37, Midnight Sun (ML); 14) Jesse Drover, 8:38, Talkeetna (TAL); 15) Nick Savage, 8:47, FL; 16) Myles Price, 8:48, SH; 17) Hunter Beling, 8:52 ML; 18) Jacob Hanson 8:53, Sutton (SU); 19) Micheal Gerard, 9:04, ACD; 20) Garreth Block, 9:10 SU. 21) Cooper Curtis, 9:18, YAL; 22) Trevor Hardin, 9:20, SU; 23) Richard Liebing 9:21, ACD; 24) Daniel Pruski, 9:21, ID; 25) Josiah Harris, 9:47, TAL; 26) Shane Schachle, 9:51, ML; 27) Paul Montanez, 9:52, ID; 28) Aaron White, 9:53, SH; 29) Ray Hajdue, 9:55, FL; 30) Steven Loyer, 9:58, SH.

Open girls (1-mile run)

1) Shea Riggo, 8:13, ACD; 2) Danielle Bitz, 8:15, BU; 3) Callie Dietrich, 8:25, GV; 4) Lydia Nelson, 8:26, SH; 5) Celaena Powder, 8:43, ID; 6) Ashley Rinion, 8:43, Pioneer Peak (PP); 7) Sam Youmans, 8:49, FL; 8) Sunn Danielowski, 8:55, SU; 9) Caila Munoz, 9:03, SH, 10) Jenna Wright, 9:06, PP; 11) Corrina Bailey, 9:10, SH; 12) Pamela Nyberg, 9:18, ACD; 13) Alina Broun, 9:21, ACD; 14) Victoria Bishop, 9:24, ACD; 15) Chelsea Lee, 9:25, GV; 16) Maci Hill, 9:27, PP; 17) Kristin Lyman, 9:31, SH; 18) Danielle Pietron, 9:32, SU; 19) Laura Whitmore, 9:36, PP; 20) Emily Graffeo, 9:43, GV; 21) Rachel Kenley, 9:47, SH; 22) Jackie Layton 10:09, ACD; 23) Janell Wiggins, 10:10, BU; 24) Danielle Buckley, 10:11, SH; 25) Sarah Rooks, 10:14, SH; 26) Anna Sloan, 10:18, TAL; 27) Becky Sorensen, 10:23, SH; 28) Hillary Bouder, 10:29, SH; 29) Holly Kitchen, 10:24, SH; 30) Samantha Melin, 10:29, SH.

Fourth-grade boys (1-1/2 miles)

1) Shay Odom, 10:50, SH; 2) Brian Cox, 11:13; 3) Tim Jaronik, 11:37, TAN; 4) Chris Scott, 11:44, SH; 5) Jake Hillis, 11:47, SH; 6) Ryan Conroy, 11:52, SH, 7) Patrick Baxter, 11:54, SH; 8) Donovan Hord, 12:08, SH; 9) Anthony Smith, 12:27, FL; 10) Tyler Langham, 12:33, TAL; 11) David VanHoomissen, 12:51, SH; 12) Brian Taylor, 12:53, Cotton Wood Creek (CWC); 13) Mitchell Swetzof, 13:06, BU; 14) Casey Niggemyer, 13:08, SU; 15) Kyle Lawson, 13:12, SH; 16) Dustin Belliston, 13:19, ID; 17) Jesse Marden, 13:20, BU; 18) Karl Rathbun, 13:21, Goose Bay (GB); 19) Matthew Wimer, 13:24, SH; 20) Alex George, 13:30, PP; 21) Travis Spaulding, 13:32, SU; 22) Wade Mars, 13:33, GB; 23) James Homme, 13:39, SH; 24) Channing Stengrin, 13:39, SH; 25) Dylan Troisi, 13:41, CWC; 26) Charlie Patterson, 13:45, ML; 27) Donovan Bailey, 13:46, SH; 28) Tyler Likkel, 13:52, SH; 29) Erik Salmon, 13:54, ACD; 30) Tony Brockington, 13:56, SH.

Fourth-grade girls (1-1/2 miles)

1) Delia Luch, 12:07, SU; 2) Letitra Luch, 12:11, SU; 3) Marcelyn Luch, 12:14, SU; 4) Rebekan McQuown, 12:32, SH; 5) Kara Larson, 13:08, CWC; 6) Lean Bonn, 13:14, SH; 7) Rashayne Zimmer, 13:21, SH; 8) Mana Bowker, 13:25, TAN; 9) Hanna Willardson, 13:29, SH; 10) Lea Shipman, 13:45, TAL; 11) April Morlock, 13:51, ML; 12) Holly Peterson, 13:52, ID; 13) Lizzie Lutz, 14:00, SH; 14) Caitlin Hunt, 14:03, TAL; 15) Sabrina Hunsuck, 14:20, SH; 16) Aerial Seltenreich, 14:21, ML; 17) Paige Wallace, 14:29, ID; 18) Jenna Johnson, 14:30, TAN; 19) Amanda Stricker, 14:32, BU; 20) Hannah Kemp, 14:33, SH; 21) Destiny Sledge, 14:36, ID; 22) April Bleicher, 14:37, CWC; 23) Alexandra Whitstine, 14:39, SH; 24) Ellen VanGordner, 14:39, PP; 25) Jordan Venzke, 14:40, BU; 26) Bristol Palin, 14:41, ID; 27) Tara Garrod, 14:45, PP; 28) Kelsey Witz, 14:46, 29) Lanycna Zimmer, 15:03, SH; 30) Kara Johnson, 15:05, CWC.

Fifth- and sixth-grade boys (2 miles)

1) Danny Applin, 12:39, BU; 2) Jacob Parisien, 12:41, SH; 3) Galen Johnston, 12:59, TAL; 4) Blake Huppert, 13:13, TAN; 5) Ryan Cunningham, 13:25, BU; 6) Brent Luch, 13:25, SU; 7) Cody Huggins, 13:46, TAN; 8) Aaron Davis, 13:53, ID; 9) Josh Moseley, 13:54, SH; 10) Mason Wick, 13:55, PP; 11) John Harmeling, 13:57, SH; 12) Bradley Traux, 14:17, PP; 13) Chris Hyslop, 14:23, SH; 14) Bryce Jacobson, 14:28, SH; 15) Luke Bertels, 14:29, SU; 16) Gabe Gatto, 14:31, PP; 17) Dave Psenak, 14:45, SH; 18) Trevor Summerfield, 14:56, CWC; 19) John Jensen, 14:58, CWC; 20) Jacob Mannix, 14:59, TAL; 21) David Crozier, 15:03, TAN; 22) Mike Knutson, 15:03, ML; 23) Peter Brown, 15:09, BU; 24) Brandon Gillespie, 15:17. GV; 25) Josh Beasley, 15:18, ML; 26) Thornton DePriest, 15:27, ACD; 27) Austin Gray, 15:35, SH; 28) Tyler Kozak, 15:40, SH; 29) Kyler Werner, 15:40, SH; 30) Samuel Widener, 15:53, TAL.

Photo: Fourth-grade girls from around the Valley get off to a start on their 1-1/2-mile race at the annual elementary school cross country meet at Colony High Friday. Delia Luch, from Sutton Elementary, recorded the fastest fourth-grade girls' time of 12 minutes, seven seconds. Rebekah McQuown, from Sherrod Elementary, finished first among this group of girls at 12:32.

Photo by GENE JANSEN/Frontiersman.